The Long Way Forward
by DeathBladeVI
Summary: A retelling of Mass Effect with the UNSC. After a joint-dig gone wrong, the UNSC sends Commander Shepard against Saren, the turian Spectre who attacked Eden Prime. Faced with being humanity's image to the rest of the galaxy, Shepard must deal with the Council, another turian Spectre, and being under the command of a captain determined to clear the name of her father.
1. Chapter 1

ACCESSING…

WELCOME CODE NAME DOCTOR!

TIMELINE

JULY 21st, 2525: A strange artifact is discovered near Harvest in the Epsilon Indi System.

July 31st, 2525: A fleet of over eighty ships arrived right over Harvest. Not able to establish communications. Fleet opens fire on freighter exiting slip space from Madrigal. The Colonial Militia and their few marine advisers evacuate the planet as quickly as possible. Two hundred and sixty thousand colonists are evacuated successfully, thirty thousand are shot out of the sky, and the last ten thousand are held captive in Utgard by the aliens, who are called 'birds.'

August 2nd, 2525: The CMA sends Battlegroup Argo to Harvest after communications were cut. Consisting of two frigates and a destroyer, they are swiftly destroyed, minus the Hercules, which limps back to Reach, telling stories of how they managed to destroy two enemy ships and damage another. The UNSC Security Council raises their alert to DEFCON 2 and all military assets are mobilized. Vice Admiral Cole is brought out of retirement and is selected to lead Battlegroup X-Ray, the largest fleet humanity has ever assembled.

August 10th, 2525: The UNSC Battlegroup X-Ray, consisting of over ninety vessels, exits slip space right over Harvest. They engage the enemy fleet, suffering two-thirds ships lost. Two vessels, barely over a kilometer long each, account for over fifty percent of the UNSC casualties. UNSC naval strategists take note of how these kilometer long warships were able to destroy ships from thousands of kilometers away.

August 13th, 2525: The UNSC launches OPERATION: BITE BACK, when eighty thousand UNSC Marines and Army troops take back Utgard from nearly twenty thousand alien invaders. Casualties are high, and reports are marked by the same stories; space magic from a select few of the enemy and dogged resistance. Over two hundred of the aliens are taken prisoner while the rest are either wounded, retreat into the country, or dead. MAC strikes deal with the stragglers. Four thousand civilians are killed in the fighting.

August 21st, 2525: The UNSC planet of Chi Ceti IV is assaulted by the same aliens. The UNSC Commonwealth delivering Spartan II commandos to the Damascus Research Facility, drives off a destroyer tonnage vessel. The same vessel returns, only to be boarded by the Spartan IIs and the ship is taken with no losses.

August 30th, 2525: After one week of trying to crack the alien language and partial star charts on board the alien vessel, ONI AI Tritus is able to decipher and translate the alien language. Known as the Turian Hierarchy, an authoritative government not unlike the UNSC, is part of a larger alien coalition. They attacked Harvest because the freighter had actually entered from the relay, and not from slipspace, breaking a law the UNSC didn't know of. The UNSC learns of the Citadel Alliance and the Council. The fleet above Harvest and Chi Ceti IV are reinforced with all available ships, while deals are made with the rebels; increased autonomy, but they are still part of the UNSC. Knowing that they aren't going to get a better deal than that, the United Rebel Front and most major separatist groups accept the terms. The Eridanus Rebels, however, refuse.

September 21st, 2525: The UNSC learns the location of a turian planet, known as Taetrus. Knowing that they needed to return to the offensive, the UNSC launches OPERATION UPPERCUT, with Cole's fleet as the vanguard. Taetrus is defended by two hundred ships, along with five of the kilometer long warships that brutalized the UNSC fleet above Harvest. In preparation to this, the UNSC Ghosts of the Past, lays HORNET mines the day before Cole's fleet arrives. When Cole's fleet arrives right over Taetrus, the ships are destroyed by the nuclear mines and two-thirds of the turian fleet is crippled. The UNSC, with their vastly better close combat weapons systems, blasts through the remainder of the fleet and deploys ODSTs and Marines. The turians, for the first time in nearly a thousand years, are faced with an enemy who is able to go toe to toe with them. The liberal use of orbital strikes help break the turian defenses.

September 23rd, 2525: The Battle of Adrian Fields is the first recorded armored encounter between the turians and the humans. Human Grizzlies and Scorpions engage turian Aceroes and Manters. The Grizzlies carry the day routing their lighter opponents; the Scorpions are outgunned and most of them are destroyed. Plans to upgrade the tank include making it lighter, two tracks instead of four, and a lower turret are put into place, along with upgrading their armor.

October 1st, 2525: Taetrus is secured, though turian resistance groups spring up. UNSC scientists start to review their weapons. They learn the origin of the turian technology; element zero. They revitalize old technology such as gauss weaponry. They also start to modify the nuclear reactors of the UNSC ships and start to look in decreasing the size of the round of the MAC gun and increasing the velocity.

October 3rd, 2525: A turian fleet arrives over Taetrus and engages the UNSC. The UNSC suffers heavily but manages to turn back the turians with total annihilation of the turian fleet. For the third time in two months, the turians have been defeated.

October 15th, 2525: Stalemate has occurred. However, the turians, after weeks of searching, manage to locate Earth via a secondary relay that connects to the Arcturus Stream. They activate the relay and the Charon Relay and with nearly four hundred ships, attack Earth. The UNSC Home Fleet, numbering about half of the turian fleet, puts a valiant fight. The thirty-four ODPs orbiting Earth also give their all, destroying a third of the turian fleet. However, turian numbers are soon bolstered by the arrivals of more ships. The turians throw eight hundred ships at Earth. The UNSC recalls all available ships back to Earth, except for the small defense fleets above Taetrus, Harvest, and Chi Ceti IV. However, since the UNSC is only able to travel fifteen light years a day, they are still a week from arriving at Earth.

October 17th, 2525: The turians, with half of their fleet destroyed, manage to break through the ODPs above Africa. Deploying shock troopers and armor, they manage to capture New Mombassa. The remainders of the Home Fleet, eight cruisers, four destroyers, and twenty frigates, retreat to Mercury, hitting supply lines and lone turian ships.

October 21st, 2525: The turians control East Africa and with their entire fleet concentrated right above it, they have total orbital and air turian offensive also spreads to parts of Europe and Asia.

October 22nd, 2525: After days of punishing bombardment, the UNSC Third and Fourth Fleets arrive near Earth, while the UNSC Fifth Fleet under Cole discovers the Arcturus Stream. The UNSC counterattacks brutally and the turians are destroyed. Eighteen thousand turians are taken prisoner while six hundred and five ships are destroyed. The Hierarchy, staking everything they had on this operation, retreats further into their own space. The Council, learning through the STG that the turians have been engaging in war with an unknown alien government, calls for a ceasefire.

October 31st, 2525: A asari diplomatic team aboard a single vessel, the Glorious Revelations, enters the Arcturus Stream. There they find Admiral Cole and one hundred human warships. The asari manage to broker a ceasefire between the Hierarchy and the UNSC.

November 3rd, 2525: A UNSC diplomatic team arrives at the Citadel. The Council is shocked to hear that the UNSC controls three hundred and thirty-two planets, though only a hundred could be called colonies; the rest are mining outposts or fueling stations. This means that they are half the size of the Citadel Alliance itself. Their military might also outmatches the Hierarchy, in sheer numbers. The Council and the UNSC broker a peace treaty between the Hierarchy and the UNSC. The UNSC will return Taetrus and leave turian space, while the turians have to pay war reparations for what they did to Earth and UNSC suffered five hundred and eighty five thousand military dead, with a million wounded. Nine hundred thousand civilians are dead as well. The UNSC lose six hundred and eighty-two ships, representing almost half of their effective military strength. The turians suffered far worse in military terms. Two million are dead while another three million are wounded, most of them turian sailors and marines. The turians suffer about eleven hundred ships destroyed. Civilian casualties are surprising low; only four thousand are dead.

November 4th-6th, 2525: The UNSC and the Council start negotiations over the UNSC's introduction to the galaxy. The Council requests that the UNSC lower their military strength, decommission all vessels over three kilometers in length( giving leeway that there nearly a hundred cruisers that are as big as a dreadnought), and after learning that the UNSC has AIs, disassemble their AIs, in order to join the Citadel Alliance. The UNSC, not seeing any benefit, strike a counteroffer. The UNSC will not join the Citadel Alliance, instead, they would be independent. However, they would decrease the amount of ships on their border with the Turians, allow trade through the relays near Chi Ceti IV and Harvest and abide by the Treaty of Farixen in regards to ships three kilometers and longer. This means that there are only a handful of new Vindicator-class battleships, for they are the most powerful ships in UNSC arsenal. They would also restrict AIs to UNSC space only. The Council, not wanting to risk interstellar war with a race that is stronger than the turians, agree, despite turian protests. Turian emergency shipbuilding is authorized by the Primarch, with half of their effective combat strength eliminated in the war.

2525-2558: The UNSC and the Citadel Alliance expand their trade relations, through the Chi Ceti IV and Harvest relays. The UNSC also learns of biotics. Military technology between the two are not shared. The Spartan II commandos are expanded along with the ODST program. The UNSC also constructs Arcturus Station in the Arcturus Stream, in order provide drydock, command and control, and other naval functions for the First Fleet who is stationed there to look after the relays. The Council starts a quiet military build-up, though it doesn't escape the notice of UNSC prowlers. In response, UNSC HIGHCOM authorized Operation FIRST STRIKE, where Spartan commandos and ODSTs start raids on STG research groups and asari scientific outposts. The UNSC starts research into energy shielding, biotics, and better ground side weapons.

August 30th, 2555: Jonathan Michael Shepard is born to Lieutenant Hannah Shepard and Captain Robert Shepard. The boy was exposed to element zero in the womb when a freighter carrying the material crashed in Vladivostok, Russia, where the two officers were stationed.

2558-2576: The UNSC starts to slightly augment ODSTs. A breakthrough in energy shielding is found, allowing for the UNSC to give widespread energy shielding to their soldiers, while the Spartan IIs and ODSTs get the best. It is unknown how the UNSC did it, though there are rumors of a planet in the middle of UNSC space where no ship is allowed to go. The UNSC also makes breakthroughs in gauss weapons and biotics, allowing for the rare individuals in the UNSC exposed to element zero to be true biotics. The UNSC Ascension Project starts.

2576: The UNSC and the Batarian Hegemony engage in what is known as the Skyllian Blitz. The Skyllian Verge and the Attican Traverse, where most Outer Colonies are located, is the site of the Blitz. Hegemony backed pirates and mercenaries strike New Washington, Elysium, and Akuze, capturing three hundred thousand humans. Sergeant Jonathan Shepard drives back the batarians at Elysium. The ODST is awarded the Legion of Honor and sent to OCS. The UNSC first tries to get the Council to do reign the mercenaries in, but the Council doesn't want to risk a war with the Terminus Systems. Seeing this, the UNSC counterattacks, their energy shielding allowing them to block both kinetic strikes and energy weapons, and attacks Torfan. Half of the humans taken are recovered, though the rest are lost in Terminus.

2577: The diplomatic tensions between the UNSC and the Batarian Hegemony reach a breaking point when the UNSC authorize an assassination in Batarian space on a noted terrorist leader. The assassination goes wrong as the UNSC teams assigned to the operation take down the wrong leader and accidentally detonate a bomb which kills five hundred civilians. Both sides close down their embassies and withdraw their ambassadors. Continued tensions between the two leads to sporadic skirmishes between UNSC Navy squadrons and Batarian dreadnoughts.

2578: Lieutenant John Shepard's new duty post is Reach. The biotic is also one of the first to receive new augmentations. The UNSC also begins construction of a new stealth warship, a corvette that is armed with a EMP cannon, pulse lasers, and a small spinal gun. It also uses the new human technology photo-reactive cells, allowing the ship to remain nearly invisible to the enemy, even if they are looking outside or if the ship is broadcasting the Russian National Anthem.

2580: Shepard leads an ODST platoon on the planet of Sedora after the local government is overthrown by human supremacists. His platoon is cut off and besieged in the now infamous Fort Massacre battle, where he loses most of his men. They are relieved when the UNSC arrives in force and eradicate the remaining supremacists, who flee to a location unknown.

2583: The UNSC prepares to allow a Council Spectre on board the Normandy, and a joint dig for a Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, a new agriculture world located on the fringes of outer human space. This is done due to the UEG administration wanting closer relations and the rumors that the Hegemony is preparing terrorist attacks against their colonies in the Skyllian Verge and the Attican Traverse. The 212th is stationed in Eden Prime for protection of the beacon.

 **A/N: I will not be discussing arguing technical details with you guys. If you have a suggestion on how I can do it better, please PM, but I will ignore reviews that criticize my use of technology for the Council and humanity. PMs are much better.**

 **Otherwise, please read, review, and follow! Thank you. If you have suggestions on the story or constructive criticism, send them my way.**


	2. Preparations

Anderson was irritated. They needed someone. All the people that the ambassador or the admiral had tried to come up with were Spartans. He had nothing against the Spartans. They were damn good at their job and they were responsible for a lot of good work, especially against the batarians after the Blitz. But they needed someone who wasn't a faceless human. Someone whose humanity was still there. Someone who could see that the UNSC wasn't the worst thing since the krogan and rachni.

"What about John-117? He's one of the original Spartans, been active in the military for nearly sixty years. He's still combat effective, he's top of the line, and he's been leading Blue Team since their inception. He's a natural born leader, lucky, and the best of his class," the UNSC's ambassador to the Council, Donnel Udina suggested. Another Spartan. When are they going to realize that we need someone who hasn't been brainwashed by those damn ONI bastards?

"I disagree. We need someone who is going to be able to work with the Council. Someone who is a friendly man, but knows how to get the job done. No disrespect ambassador, but Spartans are not those kind of people. They're the people you want when you want something dead or blown up. Not the person you want representing humanity," David answered coolly. Hackett snorted. The commander of the Fifth Fleet, he was in charge of the defense of Arcturus Station. _Normandy_ fell under his authority. The captain of the ship was already decided, but Anderson was still in command there.

"We need someone who is going to show that humanity will not be pushed by anyone, especially by the Council. Spartans can accomplish that," Hackett retorted. Anderson refused to let himself hit Hackett upside the head. Hackett was a fine naval officer, one of the best. It was his fleet that turned back the batarians at Torfan, despite being outnumbered four to one. He had been an ensign on the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn when the frigate had been ambushed and boarded by the Blood Pack. The then ensign had held off the krogan and vorcha mercenaries for the marines stationed on the frigate to retake the ship. It was there he received his scar; a long jagged line that ran from his right eye to his cheek, courtesy of a krogan combat knife.

"We don't need a war with the Council or the Terminus Systems. Having a pro-human extremist be the executive officer on the Normandy will not make our image any greater," Anderson fought back. They needed to come to an unanimous decision, or the proposal would be moot.

"What about Shepard?" came a woman's voice. Anderson turned to see a wrinkled face, with black hair marred by streaks of gray. Her eyes were intelligence, analyzing the three men. She was the creator of the Spartan II program. She was arguably the smartest human to ever be born.

"Doctor Halsey, we appreciate your advice. But this is a strictly military-"

"Udina if you would shut your mouth for one second, I can explain why Shepard would be a good choice," the old scientist said, jabbing her cane in the direction of the politician. Amazingly he did. "Shepard is a spacer correct? Born on Earth, raised on space ships most of his life? Traveled through the Attican Traverse?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do anything with this?" Hackett asked curiously. The admiral was a defender of the Spartan II program and one of the few friends that Halsey had made in the last seventy years.

"He has face to face experience with aliens, Council and non-Council. Spartans, while the best in combat, don't have those skills. I've read about this proposal from the Council. We need him. He's got the combat record. Just look at Elysium or Sedora. He's an ODST, which means he's a damn good fighter and for God's sake he has friends on the Citadel. He's the perfect man for the job," Halsey said, defending Shepard.

 _Jonathan Michael Shepard? He's a spacer, born and bred Navy...his dad retired from the Navy years ago and his mother is a captain of one of our most powerful warships._ Anderson mentally went through Shepard's record.

 _Defended Elysium from batarian pirates, practically made him a hero overnight. Lost most of his platoon on Sedora, outnumbered a thousand to one before we showed up and saved him. Biotic..._ Shepard would do well.

In addition, David Anderson knew Shepard's father personally. A very smart man and a very humble one as well.

"I agree with Halsey. Shepard is a tried and true marine. Though he may not be a Spartan, he's got the combat record, he's friendly, and he's one of the fiercest fighters that the galaxy has ever seen," David said, supporting Halsey.

The two other men were at an impasse. Udina, who was a politician in the pocket of Misriah Armory, who supplied the Spartans powered armor, wanted a Spartan to be on the Normandy. But there were only a hundred Spartans. And most of them were in the process of being trained on Onyx while the rest of the Spartan-IIs were deployed to top-secret missions everywhere else.

When the Spartan II program went public, the UNSC had to do damage control. Most of the original Spartans were in their seventies now. In order to replace them, the UNSC had asked for volunteers to be genetically screened in order to see who was viable for augmentation. Usually, nobody was viable. But children were still disappearing and flash clones were still being made. Anderson knew that the Spartan program should continue because of the threats they faced. But exposing the new Spartans to a galaxy known for their fear of them would not do well to improve humanity's image.

Hackett, was still enamored with the Spartans. He had been friends with Halsey's daughter, Admiral Miranda Keyes, for years. He knew all about Halsey and she was a role model for the admiral. Hackett wanted a Spartan on board, but he would support Dr. Halsey in the end.

"I have to say...if Doctor Halsey supports this...I will too. She's one of humanity's finest minds and a mentor. She's rarely wrong. I think we should trust her on this one," Hackett conceded. Udina looked at his omni-tool, one of the few items that were very popular with the human populace that came from Council space. He was irritated. And he was going to be mad. But with three people against him, he knew when to quit.

"I'll support Shepard. The Lion of Elysium is a war hero. He spreads hope. The decision is final. Shepard will be the executive officer of the Normandy," Udina said, with a reluctant sigh. Halsey smiled, her teeth still pearly white.

"I sure know how to pick them."

And the old doctor retreated from the room, leaving the others to ponder on this ODST. _Let's hope you Doctor._

* * *

Commander Adriana Alvarez was not a very patient woman. The fiery officer marched from the comm room where she had just spoken with UNSC top brass. She had recommended a Spartan for her executive officer. She was sure that they were going to go with it. Instead, they were sending some biotic grunt. Lieutenant Jonathan Michael Shepard, a Orbital Drop Shock Trooper from Earth and raised on space ships. _Whoever this guy is, he better be good._

She was technically still not in command of the ship; it still belonged to Captain Anderson. But that was going to change after the shakedown run for the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. She had to admit, she was excited for her first ship command. The _Normandy_ was a top of the line stealth ship, even better than ONI's own Prowlers and much better armed. Pulse lasers, a spinal gun, even an EMP cannon. She was meant to be the flagship of humanity, until the _Infinity_ was finally built.

She was just giddy with excitement.

The ship didn't have a regular marine detachment. Presently, there were only six marines stationed on the _Normandy._ The Lieutenant Commander would be in charge of the ground team. She was a master in space and all of it was her domain. She also didn't have a smart artificial intelligence, just a dumb one, that was more similar to the virtual intelligence of the Council. Captain Anderson had only said it was due to them operating in Council space that they didn't want AIs falling into the hands of aliens.

It was a strange situation, but she had been dealing with strange all her life.

" _Commander, we're receiving Lieutenant Commander Shepard's Pelican now. UNSC personnel are also loading the Cougar on board as well. We're stockpiling weapons and ammunition,"_ the dumb AI Auntie DOT informed Adriana through her communications device. The _Normandy's_ cargo bay could hold two Cougars or two Pelicans. She went with one of each. There was also a HEV Bay, located right next to the cargo bay. The _Normandy_ could send a fully equipped combat squad to the surface of any planet.

All in all, she was ready for this. Her first command. She couldn't mess this up. She needed this. In order to erase the stain on the family honor.

 _I'll make you proud father. I'll show those idiots at the Academy that we have what it takes._

Clearing the thoughts from her mind, she was soon in the CIC. A galaxy map, showing all the relays and systems that lead to UNSC space. Currently, they were near Arcturus Station, waiting for the order to jump from Arcturus to Eden Prime. She then saw a tactical map of all the ships that were near the station. One hundred and thirty of humanity's most advanced ships were stationed there, representing a tenth of humanity's naval assets.

The UNSC Fifth Fleet was commanded by Admiral Hackett, who commanded the UNSC _McKinley,_ one of the few _Vindicator-_ class battleships in the UNSC Navy. A little over three kilometers long, she dwarfed anything in the Council's arsenal with the exception of the _Destiny Ascension,_ the flagship of the Citadel Fleet.

"Thank you. Tell the Lieutenant Commander to please see me as soon as he touches down. And tell Moreau to get to the med-bay. Dr. Chakwas wants another look at him before we head out to Eden Prime," she spoke as she continued scrolling through the galaxy map, priming a course for Eden Prime.

" _Of course Commander. The Lieutenant Commander should be up in the CIC in two minutes,"_ the AI then logged off, most likely running diagnostics of some sorts. She turned away from the galaxy map, looking at her private terminal. No new messages. _Of course._ As she continued to scroll away at her private terminal, a man with a goatee and a hat with the words SR-1 on it started to limp by, sarcastically bowing before hobbling to the elevator.

Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau was perhaps the only human born with Vrolik's Syndrome. Though genetic therapy and regular exercise meant that he wasn't in danger of breaking bones for daily activities, he wasn't able to go into ground side combat. That was what made him such a terrific pilot.

The elevator soon dinged and out came a fully armored marine. Dressed in head to toe in standardized black ODST armor, Captain Alvarez was not disappointed. A clear and wide scratch ran from his chestplate to his right shoulder, while his own face was scarred. A large jagged scar ran across his cheek towards his face. _Courtesy of a batarian,_ Adriana knew. _The Lion of Elysium._ The man who had been there to defend humanity.

"Mam," the marine saluted, "Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Shepard reporting for duty."

He was eager. And he had combat scars. The captain analyzed the ODST. She had read his record; sixty-four orbital insertions. Combat in Elysium where he was outnumbered in the thousands. Had lead an ODST platoon onto the planet of Sedora where he had lost most of them to human supremacists before being rescued by Captain Anderson.

She even the personal parts. No romantic partner. Many friends, even some aliens on the Citadel he met when he was on leave. Both parents served in the Navy, one still serving as the CO of the _Orizaba._ Friendly and outgoing, he was a paragon of a sorts.

"At ease LC," she said coolly. She wanted a Spartan. Someone who wouldn't hesitate to put humanity's interest first. The marine relaxed, though his stance was still rigid, and alert. She could see the weapons the man had brought. A M9S SMG was snugly attached to the magnetic strip on his right while a M6K magnum was attached to the strip on his left. A MA6D assault rifle was on his back. It was an interesting choice of weapons.

She knew that she needed to get some things out of the way first. Namely, her dissatisfaction that she wasn't going to have a Spartan, that a Spectre would join them on Eden Prime and that she wouldn't have a Spartan as her executive officer!

"First, I would like to make clear that the decision to have you as XO was not my idea. I wanted a Spartan. But since we have to appease the damn aliens, I'm stuck with you. Though your combat record stands out, I wanted someone who would not hesitate to put humanity over the rest of the galaxy. Or choke. I wanted a tank. Instead I have you," she started. The LC remained impassive.

"Permission to speak freely mam?" he asked curtly. The officer looked at her subordinate. The marine was not supposed to be a Lieutenant Commander; he was supposed to be a Major. But since he was supposed to be her executive officer, he had been transferred to the Navy. She had been in strange situations before. _Like Akuze._

God forgive her for Akuze.

"Permission granted," she said grudgingly, leaning back with her arms crossed. The marine smiled briefly.

"Mam, I'm here because you need someone who can connect to the rest of the galaxy. Spartans are the best in combat, no doubt about that. But they have no people skill. They have no connection, just waiting for their next mission, whether it be stomping out traitors or taking out classified targets. We're trying to become a bigger part of the galactic community, instead of being known as the enclave that refuses to interact with them. The batarians already hate us; because they thought we were weak. We don't need more enemies. We do this mam, we'll be showing that we can be part of the galactic community," he said earnestly, shifting a little uncomfortably.

She was quiet. He had spoken of his true value; connection. He was a damn good fighter, but he saw more out of humanity. Shepard was an idealist who had fought against the batarians nearly every year he was in the military. _And even then, we can't stand against the combined might of the Citadel Alliance._

"You speak of idealism LC. But we have already seen what that idealism has lead us. We tried to become more inclusive to the Citadel; Captain Anderson, no disrespect to them, was the proof that we weren't ready. The batarians are still a Citadel member. Their military is the third biggest in that alliance," she retorted. The LC just sighed.

"Mam, twenty years ago is a long time. The batarians are threat to the galaxy that I hope we destroy. But we can't risk war. Not with the Council's numbers. We are outnumbered. But look at what we've managed to accomplish. The _Normandy_ is the finest damn ship in the UNSC Navy. We've graciously allowed a Spectre on board to make them see our value, when we go pick him up on Eden Prime. We've got to make sure the Council sees our value is better than the batarians." he trailed off. _A hatred for batarians._

Maybe that could come in handy.

"Dismissed Lieutenant Commander. Make sure that your ground team is ready to move when we reach Eden Prime," she said quietly. Her XO saluted her and she returned the salute. Soon Auntie DOT was speaking to her.

" _Commander, we are ready to proceed to the relay. Lieutenant Moreau will take over soon. Just give the word."_

"Hit the relay. ETA?"

"Two hours."

 _This is going to be a long two hours._


	3. Arrival Over Eden Prime

Lieutenant Commander Shepard was not disappointed to hear that the _Normandy_ came with a HEV Bay. He'd be dropping out of them for almost a decade, why stop now?

Normally a corvette would have a platoon of marines stationed on her, but since the _Normandy_ was brand spanking new, there hadn't been enough time to reassign the necessary squads when the shake-down run had been ordered. So he was working with a slapdash squad. Four of the marines had to be stationed on all times aboard the _Normandy_ in case of boarding action, even if it was a . So he was looking at two ordinary Marines, who both wore standard UNSC fatigues.

Corporal Jenkins was the poster boy of the UNSC Marine Corps. Eager, willing, and absolutely gung-ho, the eager marine was ready to show UNSC brass what he was made of. He was what Jonathan was when he joined the Marines. The LC had learned from the experiences that he had gone through.

Staff Sergeant Kaidan Alenko seemed to be a little more reserved. Calm and cool, the marine was a rarity; he was a biotic. Having been apart of the Ascension Project, Jon was ready to bet that he had run across them on Arcturus Station or the Academy.

"Commander!" the two Marines saluted him. Saluting back, he decided to get to know them better. He knew that in order to gain respect, that he needed to know his men better. That was how his father did it and how his mother did as well.

"At ease marines. Quick question; any of you have HEV training?" he asked. He was an ODST. Dropping from orbit was how he usually inserted into combat situations. He just wanted to be ready for anything.

The two marines looked at each other with confused looks.

"Sir, we are both ODSTs. Jenkins here just got back from drop school, but we're both shock troopers. Sir," Alenko said curtly. Jon mentally slapped himself. He had forgotten that the marines aboard the _Normandy_ were all ODSTs.

"Sorry Staff. Just wanted to know. Forgot to check out the dossier. Where you from Jenkins?" he asked the eager marine. The marine looked at him with excitement.

"I'm from Eden Prime. It's a beautiful place. Settled there just twenty years ago. Can't wait to get back sir!" the corporal was like a puppy. Full of energy and ready to go.

"How's Eden Prime this time of year?"

"Sir, it's near harvesting time. Harvesting time is about six times a year and we're able to harvest a lot of food. In fact, Eden Prime supplies the Inner Colonies with a lot of their food sir!" he said proudly. Kaidan had probably heard all of this.

"How do you feel about the mission?"

"Sir, I think this is my chance to show UNSC brass what I'm made of. I'm ready to show that I'm one of the best! I'm excited for it sir."

 _Overeager. Tries to impress to hard. Must let him calm down. Better combat performance, plus, it will let him to think about things more._

"Jenkins, as long as you calm down and have your eyes down the trigger, we'll all be going home in one piece. Besides, this is a simple shakedown run. We're not going to be meeting resistance." _Hopefully,_ he added. He knew that the beacons were important, hence the secrecy. The batarians or any Terminus System scum might try to get it in order to learn from the tech.

"Yes sir. I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Jenkins replied, with a little less enthusiasm.

Soon, he heard a beeping sound and Commander Adriana Alvarez's voice filtered through.

" _Shepard, we have arrived in the system, but I cannot reach any of the ships in orbit. Auntie DOT is doing a scan,"_ Adriana said over the comms. Nodding, he turned to the two marines. _Better to be safe than sorry._

"Something wrong sir?" Jenkins asked and Shepard nodded.

"We just arrived but none of the ships are responding to our hails," he informed them. _Should I? Ah, fuck it, better safe than sorry. "_ Armor up. Get ready for a HEV drop if things get dicey."

"Should we prep the Cougar?" Kaidan piped up. _No._

"No. The Cougar has too much of a profile and we want to be discrete even if this is a simple shakedown run. Besides, we don't even know if there is something wrong. I'm heading up to the CIC. Meet me in the HEV Bay," he ordered and the two marines nodded their assertion, before saluting.

Heading up the elevator from the cargo bay was slow and tedious, far too slow for a simple corvette, but he was soon in the CIC. There the various crew members were trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

David Anderson was there, looking as Adriana directed her sailors. He was in nominal control but he wanted to see Adriana command.

Adriana was in control of the situation, standing over the galaxy map in the CIC. Anderson was in the corner, looking and watching.

"No good mam! A squadron from the 3rd Fleet was in charge of the defense of the planet. But we can't get any signal from anywhere!" the comms officer said frustratingly. _That's not good._ Standard operating procedures, even for stealth warships, meant that all lines of communication should have been open in UNSC space.

"Can we get into contact with the garrison or any civilians on the ground?" she asked, looking over the map.

That was when the sensors officer reported that they were picking up eight ships in orbit around the planet.

"Mam, 8 ships in orbit. Not UNSC."

"Damn," Adriana swore. "Alright, make sure that the stealth drive is on and inform Lieutenant Moreau to keep us nice and steady...and _away._ Comms, is there anything from the ground?"

"Let me see...scanning...signal from the 212! Right near the dig site! What the hell?! Its a distress signal!" the comms officer swore.

"Just patch me to the unit. Put it on the screen."

The tactical map changed from the planet to the ground, where UNSC marines in combat gear were scrambling. Assault rifle fire was heard while the powerful punch of battle rifles and DMRs rang familiar to Shepard's ears. Various marines were running, taking cover, getting hit by some...mass accelerator rounds. A marine's energy shielding flared golden right before a sniper round slammed into his skull, knocking him on his ass.

"This is Major Ashton. We are under assault! The dig site has been taken! All orbital assets destroyed!" the camera shook a little as the Major yelled over his shoulder. A marine yelled that she was nearly out of ammo. "We are taking heavy casualties, repeat, we are taking heavy casualties! Requesting any assistance-"

A loud explosion threw up dirt everywhere, forcing the major down. Two marines started to fire, only for both to be cut down in a matter of seconds. The major yelled at another man and then several mass accelerator rounds cut into him. The camera fell and the feed was buzzed out.

"Nothing else mam...whoever this is, they are jamming communications," the comms officer said solemnly, muttering curses.

"Sensors, what are those eight ships in orbit? Their origins, something?" Adriana asked.

"Commander...this can't be right. Sensors are saying those are geth ships in orbit! Four geth cruisers and frigates, all maintaining standard formation. The geth haven't been seen outside of the Veil for hundreds of years!" the sensors officer protested.

"Well, what can that the _Normandy_ do to them?" she turned to the weapons control officer. The weapons control officer looked to ponder for a moment, going over their options.

"Pulse lasers can take out the frigates, EMP cannon and spinal gun should do the rest for the cruisers. We sneak up on them…" the weapons control officer murmured.

"And lay right into them. Like your thinking guns. But first, we need to get boots on the ground. Captain?" she turned the show to Anderson. The black officer started to think.

"We'll send in Shepard and his team to secure the beacon. The beacon is top priority. Is there any anti-air defenses?"

The sensors officer looked at his console. Scanning it, he continued to go through it and analyzed the data.

"No. It seems that they just jammed comms and isolated the dig site near the spaceport. The Pelican should be able fly without worrying Captain. However, I was unable to conduct a full scan. Don't want the geth to pick us up on their ladar," the officer told Anderson.

Captain Anderson took over from Commander Alvarez, his reputation as a calm and cool officer coming into play. He looked over the galaxy map and looked to think over their options.

"Alright. _Normandy_ will drop Shepard and his team right next to the dig site. After that, the Pelican will extract the beacon and whatever survivors Shepard can find. In the meantime, the _Normandy_ is about to deal with some geth," Anderson said, pounding his hand into his fist. The official commander of the _Normandy_ looked at Adriana with bright eyes.

"Commander, this is your show and your crew. You're in charge. I'll be here for advice and guidance. Make it happen."

Adriana saluted before looking over the galaxy map again. She then looked over to Shepard and gestured him over.

"What do you think Lieutenant Commander?" she asked him.

 _I don't know. Geth, death, and a squadron of UNSC ships just...gone. We're supposed to have the most powerful ships in the galaxy. Who did this?_

 _"_ Commander, I don't know. All I know is that securing that beacon is top priority."

"Dismissed. Get your team ready."

Shepard nodded, before he exited the CIC and headed back to the cargo bay.

One slow elevator ride later, he was near the HEV bay where Jenkins and Alenko waited.

The two ODSTs were strapped in full combat gear, with Jenkins carrying a BR85 battle rifle and a shotgun for close up work, while Alenko went with a MA6D and M6K magnum. Each of them were ready for battle and hovered over the small holotable that showed the dig site, along with the nearby spaceport. He shouted

"Get strapped in! We're heading down there in less than two mikes!" he shouted to the other ODSTs who nodded their heads and prepared themselves for what would happen soon.

"Shepard, you already know what you have to do. Secure the beacon and search for any survivors. Kilo 023 will be on stand by for pick up," Adriana's voice came over the PA system.

" _Approaching drop point,"_ Lieutenant Moreau's voice said over the PA system.

"Get ready team!" Shepard encouraged. The three marines were ready for ground combat. Taking his assault rifle, sub-machine gun and pistol, he attached them to the magnetic strips inside the pod. He then attached himself into the pod itself.

The pod represented home for the ODST. It was the pod that allowed to deploy rapidly and it was the pod that let arrive on planets safe. He was ready for this. But the geth? They had no intel on the geth. No one really thought about them; forgotten memories of a war three hundred years ago. _Three hundred years since the quarians screwed up._

Shepard knew a quarian, someone he had conducted an anti-piracy raid with. He was part of the Migrant Fleet Marines, the naval infantry of the Migrant Fleet. The ship that Shepard had been stationed on, the UNSC _In Amber Clad_ commanded by a Captain Cole. The _In Amber Clad_ was on routine patrol when a Migrant Fleet ship came under attack by batarian pirates. Two MAC strikes later, the _In Amber Clad_ was assisting the quarian vessel in exacting revenge. It was one of Shepard's first actions as an ODST, clearing out a batarian pirate base and earning his first Purple Heart.

 _Just before Elysium._

Jonathan put on his helmet, the visor polarizing. Soon, motion tracking, health bar and energy shielding were online. His VISR was tapping into the communications satellites around Eden Prime, though the jamming signal was still there.

Cracking his neck, he was awaiting the drop order. The pod closed.

It turned. His face showed up on the screens on the other marines' pod.

"We are dropping into hell troopers. We are green and mean! We are UNSC Marines, but not only that, we're Orbital Drop Shock Troopers! Keep your eyes down the sights, fingers on the trigger, and we get out of here in one piece!" he said spiritually over the comms to Alenko and Jenkins. The countdown sequence began. Three beats.

His brain started to pound, thoughts about death filtering in.

Two beats.

His heart started to accelerate, excitement pumping.

One beat.

 _Feet first into hell._

"And we're off!" The pilot in the cockpit of the _Normandy_ gleefully said as three HEV pods dropped from the _Normandy_ heading straight into the war-torn planet of Eden Prime.

 _And we're off._

* * *

 ** _Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! Also, I will only reply to reviews who are logged in. This is the only time I will respond to Guest reviews._**

 **OMAC001: No Covenant.**

 **aDarkOne: Oh, there's gonna be push back against the UNSC and humanity. Humanity has been here for almost sixty years, so they're more integrated, but there's also a bigger fear.**

 **darkfinder: A small price to pay for peace. Probably will explore the UNSC-Turian War in another story after this one is done.**

 **GUEST: Yes they would. UEG is still in charge of the government. Also, their ships are more powerful than the turians, but they are still massively outnumbered by the Citadel Alliance. Think about when the Council in the canon games refused to send a fleet into the Terminus. They would be able to defeat them, but they would be exhausted. Same might happen to the UNSC.**

 **ThePizzaMan: Good point. Don't have an answer to that right now.**

 **Josh1995: Chief won't be a biotic. He's pushing seventy in this, but he will be in it.**

 **DanielRMaxwell: Won't have any spoilers, but UNSC don't anything about the Flood. Will there be flood in this story? Still to be determined. Also yes, I am.**


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